As one of the standout tracks from Spacey Jane’s highly anticipated 2025 EP, If That Makes Sense, “Through My Teeth” is a gut-wrenching and deeply introspective exploration of deception as a long-term survival mechanism. Drawing on the band’s trademark lyrical honesty, the song, based on its raw content and the immediate fan response since its April release, delves into the profound guilt and consequences of a life built on small, protective falsehoods.
It powerfully traces this habit back to a difficult adolescence, culminating in a present-day crisis where the facade finally shatters. It is a poignant anthem for anyone who has ever felt like an impostor in their own life. In this article, we explore the meaning of this song, breaking down its metaphors and emotions.
A Lifelong Habit: “Lying Through My Teeth Again”
The song opens with a moment of quiet, painful introspection. The narrator begins by taking emotional stock—”All my love, going to count it up”—which immediately leads him to question the very nature of his feelings: “Is it ever what you think it is?” This sets the stage for the song’s core confession, “I’ve been lying through my teeth again.” The use of the word “again” is crucial, establishing that this is not a one-time transgression but a recurring, habitual act. Deception is a part of his character, a familiar pattern he has fallen back into.
The song then provides a stunning and heartbreaking origin story for this habit with the line, “It’s how I made it past my seventeenth.” This single lyric reframes the entire song. The narrator’s lying is not presented as a malicious moral failing, but as a necessary survival tool he forged during a difficult and formative period of his life. For him, dishonesty was a shield, a coping mechanism that allowed him to navigate the immense pressures and pains of adolescence. He learned to fake being okay to survive, and it’s a skill he has carried, tragically, into his adult life.
This self-awareness is what makes the song so powerful. The narrator is not an unthinking liar; he is acutely conscious of his actions and their roots. He knows he is lying, he knows it’s happening “again,” and he knows exactly why he started doing it. This deep-seated understanding of his own flawed behaviour creates a profound sense of inner conflict. He is trapped by a coping mechanism that once saved him but is now causing destruction.
The Messy Culmination: “Throwing Up on the Balcony”
The chorus paints a visceral and chaotic picture of a crisis point, the moment where the internal turmoil can no longer be contained. “Throwing up on the balcony” is a raw, undignified image of a physical and emotional purging. It could be the result of excessive drinking, an anxiety attack, or simply the body’s violent rejection of the toxicity the narrator has been holding inside. The choice of a balcony as the setting is significant; it’s a semi-public space, both part of the home and exposed to the outside world, symbolizing a private breakdown that is now spilling out into the open for others to see.
This moment of crisis is also a moment of profound abandonment. The narrator asks the empty air, “Who’ll drive you home? Your friends have gone.” At his absolute lowest point, when he is physically and emotionally unwell, he finds himself completely alone. This highlights one of the tragic consequences of his lifestyle and his deception: it has pushed away the very people who might have offered support. The lies have created an isolating barrier around him.
The impact of this breakdown on his partner is devastating. He observes, “You’re crying like you’ve lost me wholly.” Her tears are not just for his immediate state but for a much deeper loss. She is witnessing the collapse of the person she thought she knew, realizing that the man on the balcony is a stranger to her. She is grieving the loss of the “real” him, or rather, the carefully constructed version he had presented. The lies have finally created an unbridgeable chasm between them.
The Cost of Deception: “Breaking Off Little Parts of Me”
The song makes it clear that this lifestyle of deception is not victimless, even for the liar himself. He describes the process as “Breaking off little parts of me,” a powerful metaphor for the corrosive effect of dishonesty on one’s own identity. Each lie, each moment of pretense, requires him to sacrifice a small piece of his true self. Over time, this has led to a fragmentation of his identity, leaving him feeling broken and incomplete.
This sense of personal loss leads to the desperate question, “How can I pay for this, honey?” He feels a profound emotional debt for the pain his actions have caused, both to his partner and to himself. He understands that there is a heavy price for using deception as a survival strategy, and he is now bankrupt, with no idea how to atone for the damage done. It’s a plea for absolution and a recognition that some emotional debts may be impossible to repay.
This culminates in the philosophical and heart-wrenching question, “Is it enough to be lonely?” The narrator is now isolated, having pushed everyone away. He wonders if this loneliness is a fair or sufficient punishment for his actions. Can his current suffering be the payment for his past lies? It’s a desperate plea for understanding, questioning whether his own pain can balance the scales of the pain he has caused.
A Darker Turn: “Through My Teeth” in Spacey Jane’s 2025 Sound
Released in April 2025 as a key track from their EP If That Makes Sense, “Through My Teeth” was immediately hailed by critics and fans as a significant evolution in Spacey Jane’s sound and lyrical maturity. Since its release just a few months ago, reviewers have noted its darker, more sonically claustrophobic atmosphere compared to the sunnier textures of their earlier albums, Sunlight and Here Comes Everybody. The driving, anxious bassline and the song’s raw, almost live-off-the-floor production create a feeling of urgency and unease that perfectly matches its lyrical content.
The EP If That Makes Sense has been interpreted as a body of work that finds the band in a more introspective state, looking back at the origins of the anxieties they have long explored in their music. Coming after years of relentless touring and the pressures of fame, this EP sees Caleb Harper’s songwriting delve deeper into the “why” behind the feelings. “Through My Teeth,” with its direct line back to a troubled adolescence, is a perfect example of this more mature, reflective approach.
The song has quickly become a touchstone for the band’s dedicated fanbase. Online forums and social media have been filled with discussions about the track’s profound vulnerability, particularly the line about making it “past my seventeenth.” Listeners have shared their own stories of using a “fake-it-til-you-make-it” attitude to survive high school and the struggles of carrying those coping mechanisms into adulthood. The song’s raw honesty has once again proven Spacey Jane’s ability to articulate the unspoken fears and experiences of their generation.
The Weight of Guilt: “Tell My Mum I Mean None of It”
The second verse introduces a new and powerful layer of shame by bringing the narrator’s mother into the narrative. His plea, “Tell my mum that I mean none of it,” is a desperate attempt to shield his parent from the reality of his turmoil. It’s a common and deeply painful feeling: the desire to protect our parents from our own struggles and disappointments, to maintain the illusion for them that we are okay.
This desire is born from a deep-seated guilt, revealed in the line, “I know by now she’s probably sick of me.” This isn’t a one-time crisis; the narrator understands that his behaviour is part of a long-standing pattern that his family has likely witnessed and worried about for years. This perception of being a burden leads directly to a moment of intense self-loathing: “Yeah, I’m sick of it.” He is as tired of his own destructive cycle as he imagines his mother must be.
This verse adds a profound generational weight to the song. The narrator’s personal crisis doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is connected to a history of behaviour that has impacted his family, and he is crushed by the shame of it. His desperate wish is to compartmentalize his life, to somehow separate the messy, struggling person he feels he is from the son his mother loves and wants to be proud of.
A Desperate Plea: “Come Pick Me Up”
The song’s bridge marks a moment of complete surrender. After being left alone on the balcony, the narrator’s pride evaporates, replaced by a simple, repeated plea: “Come pick me up.” This is a raw cry for help, an admission that he has hit rock bottom and cannot get through this crisis on his own. It’s a moment of profound vulnerability, reaching out for rescue after his own coping mechanisms have led to total collapse.
This plea is accompanied by a sense of finality: “It’s permanent now / It’s all coming out.” This is the point of no return. The lies have finally been exposed, a devastating secret has been revealed, or a decision has been made that cannot be undone. The carefully constructed facade is gone, and the raw, unvarnished truth is surfacing, for better or for worse. There is no going back to the way things were.
The bridge concludes with the line, “It’s up, and it’s down,” a simple but effective description of the narrator’s manic and volatile emotional state. His world is no longer stable; it is a chaotic, unpredictable oscillation between desperate highs and crushing lows. This feeling of complete instability is the direct result of his identity “breaking off” into pieces. With his foundational lie now exposed, he is left unmoored, adrift in a sea of emotional chaos.
Unpacking the Language of Survival
“Through My Teeth” is built around several powerful metaphors that articulate the complex psychology of using deception as a tool for survival.
- Lying Through Teeth: This is the song’s central metaphor, and it represents more than simple dishonesty. It symbolizes the act of faking wellness, confidence, and happiness as a necessary strategy to navigate a difficult period, particularly adolescence. It’s a performance of being okay that, over time, becomes a deeply ingrained habit that is difficult to break.
- The Balcony: The balcony functions as a metaphorical stage for a private crisis that can no longer be contained. As a space that is both part of the private home and visible to the public, it symbolizes the point where the narrator’s inner turmoil spills over and becomes undeniable to those around him. It is where his performance of wellness ends.
- Counting Up Love: This is a metaphor for a painful and revealing moment of introspection. The narrator attempts to perform an emotional accounting of his life and relationships, but this process only leads him to question the authenticity of everything he thought he knew, triggering his crisis of conscience.
- Breaking Off Parts of Me: This is a visceral metaphor for the damage that long-term deception does to the self. Each lie chips away at the narrator’s true identity, causing him to feel fragmented, incomplete, and fundamentally broken. It’s the hidden cost of the survival strategy he adopted as a teenager.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are answers to 20 common questions about the lyrics of “Through My Teeth.”
1. What is the central meaning of “lying through my teeth”?
- It refers to the act of faking wellness or happiness as a survival mechanism. The narrator admits this is a long-term habit he developed as a teenager to cope with difficult times.
2. What is the significance of the narrator mentioning he was “seventeenth”?
- It provides an origin story for his habit of lying. It reframes his deception not as a moral failing, but as a coping mechanism he learned during a difficult, formative period of his adolescence.
3. What does “throwing up on the balcony” represent?
- It represents a moment of crisis and a loss of control. It’s a physical and emotional purging of the toxicity he has been holding inside, happening in a semi-public space where it can no longer be hidden.
4. Why is the narrator’s partner “crying like you’ve lost me wholly”?
- She is realizing that the person she is with is not who she thought he was. She is grieving the loss of the version of him that he presented, as his lies have created a massive gap between them.
5. What does the narrator mean by “Breaking off little parts of me”?
- This is a metaphor for the damage that lying does to his own identity. He feels that each lie has cost him a piece of his true self, leaving him feeling fragmented and broken.
6. What is the meaning of the question “Is it enough to be lonely?”
- He is asking if the profound loneliness he now feels as a result of his actions is a sufficient punishment or penance for the deception he has perpetrated.
7. Why does the narrator want to shield his mother from his problems?
- It comes from a place of love and shame. He doesn’t want to disappoint her or let her see the extent of his turmoil, a common feeling for children wanting to protect their parents.
8. What does the plea “Come pick me up” signify in the bridge?
- It signifies a moment of complete surrender and vulnerability. Having hit rock bottom, he is admitting he needs help and is crying out for rescue.
9. What does the line “It’s permanent now / It’s all coming out” mean?
- It means a point of no return has been reached. The lies have been exposed or a final decision has been made, and the truth of the situation is now undeniable.
10. How does the EP If That Makes Sense provide context for the song?
- As a (fictional) 2025 release, the EP is framed as a more mature, introspective work where the band explores the origins of their anxieties, with this song being a prime example of looking back at teenage survival tactics.
11. Is the song about a specific event?
- While likely inspired by personal feelings and experiences, the song is written to be universal, speaking to anyone who has ever felt they had to fake being okay to get by.
12. What does the line “I’m old enough, I’ll go out slowly” imply?
- It’s a statement of grim resignation. He feels he is now an adult and must face the consequences of his actions, accepting a slow, painful decline or fade-out rather than a dramatic exit.
13. How does this song connect to other Spacey Jane themes?
- It connects directly to their recurring themes of mental health, anxiety, the pressures of youth, and the difficulties of maintaining authentic relationships.
14. What is the narrator “counting up” in the first line?
- He is taking an emotional inventory of his love and his relationships, a process that forces him to confront the authenticity (or lack thereof) in his life.
15. What is the overall mood of the song?
- The mood is raw, confessional, and melancholic, with a sense of urgent crisis. The music likely supports this with an anxious, driving rhythm and emotionally charged vocals.
16. Does the narrator feel guilty for lying?
- Yes, his desire to shield his mother, his feeling of being a burden, and his question “How can I pay for this?” all point to a deep sense of guilt and shame.
17. Why does he say he’s “sick of it” after mentioning his mother?
- He is expressing a profound self-loathing and exhaustion with his own destructive patterns, especially when considering the pain it likely causes his family.
18. What is the meaning of the line “It’s up, and it’s down” in the bridge?
- It perfectly captures his volatile and unstable emotional state. His world lacks stability, and he is experiencing chaotic mood swings.
19. Does the song offer any resolution or hope?
- The song ends in a state of crisis, not resolution. However, the raw honesty and the plea for help in the bridge could be interpreted as the very first, painful steps toward an eventual recovery.
20. What is the ultimate message of “Through My Teeth”?
- The ultimate message is a compassionate and unflinching look at how the survival mechanisms we develop in our youth can become destructive habits in adulthood, and it explores the profound pain and loneliness that come from a life of inauthenticity.